Rabbis Roundtable 01. Rabbis of different denominations discuss Obama & Netanyahu; conversion and Jewish survival; Christmas time for the Jews; the value of Gilad Shalit; and more! Moderated by R’ Dr. David Flatto and featuring R’ Jonathan Stein (Ref.), R’ Stuart Weinblatt (Cons.), R’ Robyn Fryer Bodzin (Cons.), and R’ Adam Mintz (Orth.).
Srugim 05. Dating gets confusing when Amir asks out Reut’s younger sister, Nati hijacks Amir’s internet dating account and gets into a pickle, and Yifat goes on a blind date with a not-so-mysterious stranger. Watch a new episode every Saturday night on TJC!
The Salon 03. Jewish women discuss: Orthodox female rabbis, modesty as fashion trend, an atheist-feminist siddur, and more! Hosted by Forward’s Jane Eisner, with Mediate.com’s Rachel Sklar, featuring JOFA’s Robin Bodner, novelist Dara Horn, and comedian Ophira Eisenberg.
With the Editors 02. Those who write the headlines in the Jewish world discuss the Yiddish language takeover; how the Orthodox vote is changing; Sarah Palin’s attack on Obama’s Israel, Jewish boxers and more! Moderated by JTA’s Ami Eden, and featuring editors from the Long Island Jewish Star, the New Jersey Jewish News, Tablet Magazine, and Jewcy.com!
A Day in October. Riveting, inspirational and fact-based, this beautifully acted drama chronicles the courage of a young Jewish woman who risks everything by concealing a wounded resistance fighter in her family’s home just prior to the Nazi invasion of Denmark.
It’s Now or Never. This riveting historical drama follows Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion on his fight to declare Israel an independent nation. His critics feared he was rushing into a “second Holocaust,” but Ben-Gurion knew the time was now!
Katzhen. This Israeli Oliver Twist shares the beautiful but sad story of a young boy who, faced with the loss of his mother and an incapable father, decides to take control of his own destiny. Traveling across Israel in search of love and stability, Katzhen finds it in unexpected places.
Mother V. Visually stunning, this film follows one woman’s physically demanding and emotionally toiling journey — across Israel and towards understanding and forgiveness of her estranged son, who sits in prison, accused of espionage. Uses the real-life story of Mordechai Vanunu as inspiration to explore the complexity of family dynamics, recognizing how one splintered relationship can lead to fractures in others.
The Witch From Melchet Street. Explores the magic, and heartache, of love at any age, when a young boy befriends a kind-hearted witch to help him pursue the heart of a pretty classmate. This modern-day, wonder-filled urban fairytale of magic and first loves is based on the book by Israeli author Gadi Taub. Equally appealing to children and adults!
Aviv: Screwed Up Generation. Combining David Bowie’s glamour with John Lennon’s politics, musician Aviv Geffen is Israel’s resident make-up-wearing rock star peace activist. Offering a highly personal look at the very public figure, this intimate documentary combines old home videos, footage from on-stage performances, and private interviews to track Geffen’s musical success and offer insight into his complex personality.
Film Fanatic. The “Hasidic Steven Spielberg” is torn between his passion for filmmaking and his socially conservative community that frowns upon it. The story of a man who struggles to make a great film that his fellow ultra-Orthodox Jews will consider kosher.
Rabin, Part 1. The famously-martyred Israeli prime minister was once a shy boy who hung around the soccer field and dreamed of becoming a water engineer, but life had a very different plan for Yitzhak Rabin. The first half of this compelling biography of one of Israel’s most important political figures shows how Rabin’s early military service evolved into his diplomatic fight for peace.
Rabin, Part 2. Yitzhak Rabin was a leader who confronted violence while promoting peace, despite criticism. The second half of this portrait of the man who spent his lifetime fighting for Israel follows Rabin from an upsetting mid-career lull to the height of his popularity, ending with his shocking assassination. It explores Rabin’s wife Leah’s crucial role in his political success, and his reconciliation with life-long rival Shimon Peres.
Say Amen. Deeply personal, the documentary explores what it means to be gay in an Orthodox, procreation-driven family. While the other nine Deri children have all extended the family tree by marrying and having kids of their own, David, at twenty-nine, still hasn’t brought home a girlfriend, inspiring his family to constant nagging. This confessional film follows David as he takes small steps, slowly gathering courage, to ask for acceptance from the people whom he’s closest.
Antisemitism in the 21st Century: The Resurgence. Violence against Jews has nearly doubled since the year 2000. This important film, hosted by celebrated journalist Judy Woodruff, explores the phenomenon of contemporary antisemitism and attempts to explain the recent rise in hate crimes against Jews. Purchase the DVD at TwoCatsTV.com.
Jews in America: The Civil War. This fascinating and in depth documentary explores the roles Jews played on both sides of the Civil War. It also offers insight into Ulysses S. Grant’s infamous General Order #11, which was designed to expel Jews from their homes and businesses without cause.
The Highest Commandment. Overcoming great obstacles to delve deeper into their faith, a broad range of Jews share their stories of revelation and transformation. Celebrates Jewish learning and the myriad of often unconventional ways people have found to incorporate Jewish practice into their lives.
The Making of the West. As the American West opened up, waves of Jewish immigrants tested the promise of the American dream. But was it possible to remain a Jew in the American wilderness?
All’s Very Well. Can the daughter of Holocaust survivors ever be forgiven for marrying a non-Jewish German man? The ironically-titled documentary All’s Very Well chronicles one woman’s journey to accept the choices she made long ago and seek her mother’s forgiveness.
Carpati. “Irresistible and poignant,” says the L.A. Times. A warm-hearted old ice cream vendor journeys back to his hometown in the Ukraine, fifty years after the Holocaust, to deliver a Torah to its struggling Jewish community. Explores the lives of Ukraine’s few remaining Jews, and their connection with their Gypsy neighbors who also endured the oppression of the Holocaust.
Next Year in Argentina. Two Argentine-Israeli filmmakers travel back to Argentina and explore questions of identity and the meaning of a homeland as they speak with friends and family who have stayed behind. “Next year in Jerusalem,” goes the thousands-year-old prayer, yet nearly 60 years after the founding of the Jewish State, some Jews still long for the home they left behind — even if home meant poverty and persecution.
Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom. Why would a Polish Jew fight for a Communist China alongside Mao Zedong? American filmmaker Ronald Levaco travels back to China, the country of his childhood, to discover what happened to an old family friend, “Eppy the Communist.”
Thunder in Guyana. How does a Jewish girl from the suburbs of Chicago grow up to become the president of a South American nation? Profiles Janet Rosenberg Jagan, pegged the Second Eva Peron, to explain how her typical Jewish upbringing led to her atypical adult life pursuing service work and Marxist politics in South America.
Goodbye Holland. The tragic story of Dutch anti-Semitism and collaboration with the Nazis — which resulted in the largest proportion of Jewish fatalities in all of Western Europe. Reveals the shocking present-day anti-Semitism that continues in Dutch society, decades after the Holocaust. Through first-hand interviews, Director Willy Lindwer weaves together his narrative of the conspiracy that led to the near-annihilation of an entire population.
Luboml, My Heart Remembers. The Holocaust did not only take individual lives—it wiped out entire communities. A staggering five thousand shtetls were destroyed by the war. The documentary reconstructs for an hour one such small town as it once was, to explore the vibrant rural Jewish life that–once so central to European Jewry–is now forever lost.
Rescue in Scandanavia. Oscar-nominated Liv Ullman narrates the story of how ordinary Norwegian and Dutch citizens saved Jews during the Holocaust. Archival footage and interviews explore what made them willing to risk their own lives in order to save Jewish ones.